


The Child of the Enemy

by bamessner



Series: The Lives of the Soldiers in the Survey Core [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, HELLA SPOILERS, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, My OC - Freeform, Past Sexual Abuse, Romance, Spoilers, mentions of sexual abuse, possible future sexual content???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2019-06-20 12:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15534447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bamessner/pseuds/bamessner
Summary: One day in the year 843 while the Survey Corps was on an exhibition outside the walls, one of the scouts came across a small girl trying to hide from the titans. So they took her inside of the walls and away from the beasts. After much arguing from the commanders of the three military branches and Dhalis Zachary, it was decided the child, who's name according to her is Inge Becker, would be raised by the military as a whole with the help of another individual known to have been found outside of the walls, Grisha Jeager.





	1. There's someone strange running around...

**Author's Note:**

> I use the German spellings of the names. So none of that Rivaille bullshit. Names of note are...  
> Miche Zacharias not Mike  
> CAPTAIN LEVI not Levi Heichou/Lance Corporal/ Rivaille  
> Dhalis Zachary not Darius Zackly  
> Hanji Zoe not Hange (because it just doesn't look right to me)  
> Armin ARLERT not ARLELT 
> 
> We clear? Good. Nothing irks me more than when weeaboos use the Japanese to English spellings instead of what they're actually supposed to be...

" **Onward**!" Keith Shadis's voice rang out through Shiganshina District as the soldiers of the Survey Corps rushed to their deaths. It would be the Commander's third squad in one month to have perished at the jaws and hands of the titans that ran outside of the walls the rest of humanity was protected by. Each day the number of the beasts seemed to grow by double of what they had killed the last time they were outside of Wall Maria, and each day thirty percent more of Keith's soldiers died trying to find out more about the horrid creatures. He was disappointed that he had not found himself screaming for the monsters to let him go before they tore him apart and devoured his scarred body.

As they approached the first titan not far from Maria's gate, Shadis wondered if he should have taken soldier Erwin Smith's advice about making formations out of the soldiers so that more would survive and more information would be gathered.  _He seems to be popular with the other recruits,_ he thought,  _they seem to trust the bastard more than me!_ They had good reason to trust Smith more than their commander. Erwin Smith's squads always seem to come back to the walls with the least amount of injuries, if any.  _He might have to be put in his place..._  

No sooner did Shadis think about giving Erwin a rough time did it start pouring down rain, as if whatever god was out there was warning him of the repercussions of abusing his power of commander to scare subordinates into taking his glory. He wouldn't have done it anyways. Shadis was the kind of man to scare the piss out of you with his mean-looking face and deep, gruff voice, but would act like a loving grandfather to any child that would come his way. He intended to retire as the Survey Corps Commander and become the commandant of the Cadet Corps instead. Maybe scaring the shit out of some preteen kids who think they'll survive the monsters that took over the world will give him some kicks. He could only hope so. 

After a while of rain and commands to split groups and having messengers run across fields to communicate with the surrounding squads, he noticed one of his squad members, Miche Zacharias, turn his horse toward someone running from a moderately small titan. Shadis stopped the rest of his squad to yell at the tall man. Zacharias wasn't one to disobey a higher-up and could definitely hold his ground in both hand-to-hand combat and slaying the grotesque beasts, he was even named to be "humanity's strongest soldier" by those around him, so it was a shock to Keith Shadis when the man completely ignored his commands. He was persistent with his chase of what looked to be a new recruit fresh from the Cadets. 

Shadis signaled his group to follow him in his pursuit of Miche, who had now scooped up the small soldier and held them against his chest firmly as he fled on his horse. The group caught up to him, and some had taken down the titan by the time Shadis realized what the fuss was about.  _A child?!_ Keith had to make a double take on that one. _How_ _the hell did a small child... a little girl, end up outside of the walls?!_ He was snapped out of his thoughts by Miche's voice.

" ** _Sir!_**   What do we do? Do we take her back? We can't leave her here, she'll die!" His voice and face remained the same as they always were, but his voice was noticeably louder because of the rain. 

"We..." Shadis took a moment to collect himself. "We'll take her back with us... now! Right now! The mission is done! The rain has let up a bit, shoot the flare! We head back now!" 

* * *

* * *

There wasn't much left of the soldiers that went outside, even though it was a considerably short mission. Most were devoured by the titans of course, others were severely injured, and the rest will never be the same. Of course Erwin's squad was still intact, no surprise there, and no surprise that the hecklers made sure Shadis knew how one of his subordinates commanded better than he ever could or will. Those people were usually hit in the back of the head by a young boy named Eren, the son of a doctor that Shadis knew well, and who was also found outside of the walls. Then there would be a screech from a little blond boy, the only friend Eren has ever had, to stop being irrational and starting fights he can't finish. As the thought of Grisha and how they met came into mind, so did the little girl in Miche Zacharias's arms. She seemed to be asleep, and Shadis wondered how long she had been. It was then that Hanji Zoe and Erwin came up to Shadis on their horses, along with a man that was always by Hanji's side. She started going on and on about a hypothesis she had come up with on the mission before finding the small child in Miche's arms.

"Is that a  _child_?!" She asked dramatically. "Where did you find it?" 

"Miche spotted her in the rain." Shadis explained.

Hanji snorted. "Spotted or smelled her while sniffing for titans?"

"Smelled." Miche cut in with his deep, gruff and quiet voice as he looked ahead. 

"What are we going to do with her?" Moblit, Hanji's shadow, asked in the same worried tone he always speaks in.

Shadis looked at the child in contemplation. "We'll take her back to headquarters for now, and I'll call a doctor to check her for injuries, then I'm calling a meeting to see what we can do."

"I say we keep her." Erwin spoke up.

"Pardon?" Shadis asked.

"Sir, think about it. We could keep her and raise her to be a soldier!" 

"Leave it to someone heartless like you to want to brainwash a kid to be our little soldier slave." Hanji retorted.

"Not brainwashing, and not a slave." Erwin defended himself. "She would have a choice of course."

"Everyone shut the fuck up!" Shadis ordered, "we don't even know the poor child's name or where she came from! Now I want you all silent until we get back to headquarters!" 

There were loud shouts of "yes sir" before the only remaining sounds were of the horses' feet on the ground, the groans of wounded soldiers, and the soft snores of the child in Miche's arms. She looked to be about Eren's age, which made him think of the doctor he's going to call for the girl. He hadn't spoken to Grisha in years. It was said even within Wall Sina that he's the best doctor humanity has to offer, he may be busy. Maybe he'll make an exception for her since she was found outside the walls...

* * *

* * *

 


	2. She's only a girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The military leaders have a meeting about what to do with the little girl while Hanji, Miche and the others watch over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to update daily, if not then weekly. Also, I made a random character named Oswald Zurich for the man that was Commander of the Military Police before Nile Dok was. So don't take that character as someone that actually cannon to the story because I just made him up. 
> 
> ~Fun fact! Caffeine makes me uber tired. I'm typing this note right here after I finished writing the chapter and it was going to be longer, but I'm really tired. I'll post another one tomorrow though...

They set up the little girl in Shadis's room until they found out what to do with her. Hanji and some other female soldiers kicked all of the men out of the room so they could clean her up and change her, so Shadis took this moment to go call the other leaders to a meeting with their successors. This meant that Erwin Smith would come with Shadis to the meeting. He trusted Miche and a female soldier named Nanaba that the place would be in good hands while they were gone. 

Now the Current military commanders of the Survey Corps, Keith Shadis and his successor Erwin Smith, the Military Police Regiment Commander Oswald Zurich and his successor Nile Dok, and the Garrison Regiment Commander Dot Pyxis and his second-in-command Anka Rheinberger, as well as Military Premier Dhalis Zachary were now all in one room to discuss what will happen to the little girl that was found by the scouts outside of Wall Maria. 

Pyxis started the meeting by trying to emphasis with the girl. "The last time we found someone from outside of the walls we welcomed him in with open arms and now he's the best doctor Humanity has."

"We don't know where this kid comes from!" Oswald objected. "She could have diseases! She could be linked to the titans!"

"How would that be?" Shadis asked.

"Does this child even have a name?" Dhalis interrupted the men's argument with a question that has yet to be answered. Everyone looked to the two men representing the Survey Corps for the answer.  _Shit_. Shadis thought, he never even thought to ask the girl. She was asleep and he didn't want to wake her up and start questioning her, she's a little girl! He didn't even know how old she was!

"Uh..." Shadis stuttered, "we never asked sir. She was asleep and we didn't want to scare her more than she already was..."

"She seems to be about seven years old." Erwin claimed. "Hanji said she seems a bit malnourished, so she may actually be older."

Dhalis nodded. "Rheinberger, go ask the child's name. Bring her here if you're able."

Anka saluted him with a "yes sir" and hurried to Keith's room to get the girl. 

"What exactly would knowing the kid's name do for us?" Nile spoke up.

"Well if she's going to be a quest here then I want to get to know her a little." Dhalis spoke as if Nile's question was the dumbest thing a soldier had ever said. "Did you really think I'm such a heartless monster that I'd leave a girl on the streets to be snatched by one of the Underground perverts? Or perhaps you thought I'd have Keith drop her off outside the walls during their next expedition? She's a child Nile! She probably can't even read yet!" 

After ten minutes of silence where Nile was fidgeting around, Hanji burst through the door with the small girl in her arms, now wide awake and shaking like she'd just seen someone devoured whole. She had long, light brown hair that was a mess, presumably because she had just woken up. It looked a little wet as well.  _They must have given her a bath..._ She refused to look in the direction of the men that were sitting at the table. Anka came in moments later out of breath and leaning in the doorway. 

"I'm sorry sir!" She panted, "I couldn't stop her! Even with the child in her arms, she's very fast!"

Hanji was holding onto the child tightly and protectively as if they were trying to rip her out of her arms. "Please sirs, let her stay! I'll feed her, and bathe her, and clean up after her! I promise!"

"She's not a pet Hanji." Erwin stated.

Dhalis waved him off. "She'll be fine soldier, give her here."

Hanji hesitated before slowly moving towards Dhalis Zachary and lowered her down to sit on his lap, but the child held onto her neck for dear life and started wailing. 

"No!" She yelled. "Don't give me to him!"

Hanji tisked and brought the child back up to rest on her hip. "Oh she wouldn't let Miche or Moblit touch her either... why do you think that is?" 

"Maybe we should wait for Grisha." Shadis suggested.

"You called him?" Nile growled. 

"Yeah. I figured since we found him outside of the walls then she would be more comfortable with him than anyone else. He does have a son of his own that's around her age. Maybe since we'll be taking care of her they could watch her while we're on our missions."

"That's very smart thinking of you Keith." Dhalis praised him. "However, what do you think she'll do when you all eventually die at the hands of those beasts?" Shadis stayed silent, and Dhalis took that as a hint that he was thinking of a good answer. While he thought of one, he decided to try to talk to the girl. "Hello little girl." He said gently, "can you tell us your name?" 

The girl stayed silent for a while, then spoke softly. "Inge."

"Inge? What a pretty name! Did your mother give it to you?"

Again there was silence before her answer came out a little louder than the last. "I don't know..."

She was still facing Anka who was standing behind Hanji. She refused to face him.

"Can you please turn around so I can hear you better?" He asked. She hesitated, before doing what he asked. "Dhalis's eyebrows raised slightly at her appearance. She was very thin and pale with a small cut on her nose, but that wasn't what shocked him. She had two different colored eyes. Her left eye was a light green and her right eye was a light blue. It was something that, to his knowledge, no one has ever seen before. "Doctor Jeager will definately get a kick out of you." The girl, Inge, blushed. "Your eyes are very pretty Inge."

"Thank you..." She said quietly.

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 


	3. This is Only Our Secret.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humanity's best doctor Grisha Jeager arrives at the Military headquarters to do a checkup on the girl the Survey Corps found outside of the walls. He finds out that not only are her eyes different colors, but that she's from the same village he came from as well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psh, what you talkin' 'bout Willis? It's totally not past the time I said I'd post this! Piss off okay? I'm definitely not a morning person, so if I say tomorrow, I really mean at 1 am the day after tomorrow.
> 
> ~ Four hours of putting this shit off until about 5 in the morning and I'm damn proud of my work. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get up in four hours...

"Different colored eyes you say?"

Shadis escorted Grisha Jeager to the room Hanji and Nanaba had Inge in. He told the doctor the situation, what she looked like, how she still hasn't let a man touch her, how thin and short she looked for her age. Grisha took it all in, especially the parts about the girl not letting men touch her since she woke up, and how small she was. He didn't want to say anything about the theories he had right now, he wanted to be certain before he jumped to any damning conclusions. He was worried, that was certain, so he tried talking about her eyes. It was one of the first things Shadis brought up when he told Grisha about her. It sounded interesting at least. A girl with different colored eyes? How rare! 

"Yeah... That doesn't mean anything bad does it?" Shadis asked worriedly.

"Well if it's the colored part of her eye then no, but if it's the white of one of her eyes then yes."

Shadis sighed in relief. "No just the colored part. One's light blue and the other's light green."

Grisha laughed at his reaction. "No it's not bad then, it's called a birth defect or a mutation. It's just how she was born."

They stopped in front of one of the many doors the hallway they walked through contained. "She's in here with two female soldiers. She might not even look at you." Shadis said.

Grisha nodded and slowly opened the door, peeking inside. "Hello?" He called inside the room. "It's Doctor Jeager, may I come in?" There was a "yes" from the inside, so he went inside the room and closed the door behind him. Two female soldiers were sitting on a sofa, while big eyes and a small, button nose peeked up from behind it. "Hello ladies!" Grisha greeted cheerfully to the two women before bending down to the child's size. "And hello miss. I'm Grisha Jeager, I'm the doctor that's going to look at you. What's your name?"

She studied his face, then stood on her tippy-toes to see how tall he was. "My name is Inge Becker." She said quietly.

"Nice to meet you!" Grisha replied with a smile. 

"You're tall." She replied, making the two other women snicker from her innocent cuteness. 

"You know, I get that a lot." He chuckled. "They sent me here because they were worried you got hurt outside the walls. Can I check to see if you have any injuries?"

He thought he was going to pass out from her adorable, big eyes. "You said you're a doctor?"

"Yes ma'am." 

"A  _real_ one?"

"Yep!"

She stuck out her arm from behind the couch to give Grisha her pinky. "Promise?" She asked.

His larger finger met hers. "I promise." 

She seemed satisfied, and instead of going around the sofa to sit in front of him, she jumped up onto the back of it and climbed in between Nanaba and Hanji. Shadis was right. She was very small and thin for her age. Her hair was long and she needed a haircut badly. Her eyes were as wondrous as Shadis described, they were hypnotic even. She was a very cute kid, but her appearance worried Grisha.

"I need the girls out of the room so I can look you over and ask very important questions." He explained to her. "You can stay in here with me alone right? I wouldn't hurt you. I have a son of my own."

She thought about it for a few minutes. She looked at Grisha, then at the girls, then at him again and nodded her little head. The women nodded as well, and left the room.

Grisha knelt down in front of her to make himself seem smaller. "They'll be right outside. If you get uncomfortable, you can yell or cry or run out to them okay? I'm not going to do anything, but you don't have to stay here if you feel scared. Promise me one thing though, you'll tell me if you feel uncomfortable, okay?" She nodded again. "So your name is Inge Becker? How old are you Inge?"

"Seven..." She answered.

"You're very small for your age. Have you been eating well?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"The man who took me only gave me bread and a little bit of water once a day..." 

His eyes widened. "The man who took you?" She nodded. "How did he take you?"

"He took me during the festival when my mom and dad were turned around." She said.

"And where are you from?" He hoped she said Liberio and not a different Marleyan city. 

"Well," she started, "my mommy and daddy don't live together. Mommy and me lived in the town, but Daddy lived in the Internment zone. The officers call Daddy a monster and say he's a bad man."

 _She's both..._ He thought. "So he took you, and then what?"

She looked down and started twiddling her thumbs. "He did bad things..." She spoke softly. "He was a bad man..." 

"How did you get on the island?" He grabbed her small hand and held it in his.  _She's cold_ _._ He noted.

"I escaped when he was asleep one day and snuck onto a boat. I ran when it landed on the island, but then all of the sudden, big giant people started appearing. So I hid in the trees and in the forest. Then a big man on a horse started chasing me and the next thing I knew, these ladies were waking me up and telling me that they were gonna give me a bath." She perked up as she told her story.

"He did bad things to you?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Did he..." Grisha took a second to breathe before he asked, "did he touch you in bad places?"

She nodded again.

"Now don't run away okay?" He squeezed the hand he held. "I need to look at where he did these things so I can help it heal. I won't hurt you." She started tearing up. "Just talk to me the whole time. Tell me a story. Tell me about your mother. Was she pretty? What about your father? Was he handsome? Do you look like your mom?"

He continued asking questions to calm her down and distract her as he examined her small and frail body. She had scars. A few ribs had been broken in the past year at the least. She had bruises and raw skin on her wrists and ankles. She was... ripped. It would take a while to heal. The man she said took her didn't just touch her, he had raped her as well. He definitely wasn't gentle either... disgusting people like that never are. He'd seen kids like her before, both girls and boys. Babies sometimes too, and most of the time the babies didn't make it. Most of the kids he's seen like this were already weak from lack of sunlight, as they lived in the Underground City. Sometimes, there would be kids who couldn't walk after being rescued. 

She was in bad shape. She hadn't grown in over a year. She was pale from the lack of sunlight, he must've kept her hidden in the darkness of a room or basement. It was amazing that she'd been able to make it to where she did in the state she was in. She talked during the whole exam... and then some. He measured her height.  _104.3 cm._ Weighed her.  _18.9 kg._ And then did other normal things that he would check up on. 

"You're all done!" He said to her after a while. "You did very well Inge! Thank you." 

She blushed and gave him a hug. "Thank you for taking care of me Doctor Jeager."

He hugged her back and smiled. "You're very welcome."

* * *

* * *

* * *

He had everything packed up. Shadis and the two girls that were with Inge earlier were all in the room. Inge was hiding somewhere playing or drawing on a sketchpad that Grisha had bought so she'd have something to do. He took some medicine, pills and a bottle of ointment, out of the bag he carried with him and gave it to Shadis. 

"Give her one pill daily during her breakfast." He instructed bluntly. "Do not give her anything big or too much food right away. She's only had bread, water, and whatever food she could find as nourishment for the last year, so her stomach will have to get used to normal foods. Make sure she gets plenty of sunlight  _daily_. She needs it." He turned to the two women who were, once again, sitting on the sofa and handed Nanaba the ointment. "It may be uncomfortable for the both of you, but you need to put this on her private area once in the morning, and once at night after a good bath. She's been through a lot of abuse and she needs to heal properly or she'll get infections that could lead to infertility." The girls nodded.

Grisha looked around for the little girl and as if she read his mind, she came over to him from behind a desk. "Well Inge, it's been very nice meeting you." He said in a softer voice.

"Nice meeting you too Doctor Jeager." She replied.

He smiled warmly. "I'll be back next week to check on you okay? I'll bring you some books and toys."

"Okay." She hugged him again.

She waved to him as he walked out of the room and as the carriage he was in moved away and down the streets. After he was fully out of sight of the window she was looking from, she went back to drawing a picture on her new sketch pad. At least they had the help of Grisha, who was luckily both a father  _and_ a doctor...

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 


	4. The Doctor has a son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang continues to take care of little Inge... then Hanji gives her a bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's 10:30 at night over here in America (because I don't know where the people reading this story are from), so I decided to start on a new chapter if I want to get it out before midnight. After reading the last few chapters over, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. I thought I'd end up rushing it like I usually do when I write, but I'm doing good so far.
> 
> Aaaaanywho, let's get to it shall we?
> 
> ~ Well it's thirty past midnight as I'm finally posting this... Sorry. There's a lot less chatting in this one I think, and I'm ok with that. I keep wanting to type in German... I don't know what that's all about but ok then...

They had given her the good food that the Survey Core had saved for special occasions. She's a growing, malnourished girl and she needs  _good_ food, unlike the food they normally have. It made Shadis think. What if they wouldn't be able to care for her properly? They're barely able to get funding for the expeditions outside of the walls! How the hell were they meant to care for an already malnourished child? How the hell did Shadis get the idea to agree with this again? Oh yeah, if he hadn't agreed to care for her, then she would've ended up on the streets or in the shitty, run-down orphanages and she would eventually die from the infection in her... well...  _private area._

That was another thing that made Shadis worried. And very uncomfortable... This girl was... taken, at such a young age. She was hurt in the worst way possible. A man, a  _full grown man_ had had forceful intercourse with this  _small child._ He couldn't imagine how scary and painful that must've been... He didn't _want_ to think about it, but he couldn't stop. She was so young! Why? How does someone think like that? She must have cried and begged for him to stop. Why? How couldn't he? He knew that he could never intentionally hurt a child. He would never even be able to  _unintentionally_ hurt a child and it not haunt him for the rest of his life! It takes a real monster to do something so horrible...

She argued with him when he told her not to eat everything all at once, not matter  _how_ hungry she was. All he had to do was say "Doctor Jeager said it would hurt you" and she immediately stopped arguing. She was trying her best not eat everything so fast. She tried her best to ignore the ache in her stomach telling her to eat faster, and she did very well. She trusted Doctor Jeager! He did have a son of his own after all, and Mr. Shadis had said so as well. His name is Eren, or so that's what she was told. He was her age too! Well, a year older... Doctor Jeager said that she could meet him after she healed! She was excited. For now though, she was determined to follow Doctor Jeager's orders exactly. And it was night, which meant...

"Miss Hanji!" Inge wiped her mouth with the napkin she was given before she started eating. Hanji perked up hearing her name. "It's bath time! Doctor Jeager says I need a bath every night, and then the special medicine put on my special area!" She recalled enthusiastically. She trusted the doctor, she knew the special medicine wouldn't hurt her because he had told her so.

"Okay then!" Hanji replied as enthusiastic. "Let's go to the washroom!" Hanji pointed dramatically in the direction they were going to go.

Inge giggled and jumped from her chair to copy the silly lady. "To the wash room!"

Hanji picked her up and put her on her shoulders with a "whoosh" and ran with her out of the room. Erwin chuckled while Nanaba let out a genuine laugh and shook her head.

"That lady is gonna be like her crazy aunt." She said.

"What does that make Moblit?" Erwin asked as Miblit ran out of the room after them.

"The worried uncle I guess."

Erwin snickered.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Hanji had to kick Moblit out of the room before she undressed the girl.  _The man worries too much!_ She thought. 

She made sure the water was just right for Inge, and even had her test it to make sure. "It's perfect Miss Hanji!" She'd said, so she put her in. She made sure every inch of the girl was washed. She was a little uncomfortable bathing a child that wasn't related to her. She didn't know if it was okay to wash her whole body. Should she leave the private areas out? Should she just let her wash herself? No, what if she didn't wash herself well enough? Eventually, she decided to just wash the girl herself. She thought that she might as well since she's the one that's going to put the medicine on her as well. Speaking of that...

It was the most mortifying thing she ever had to do in her life. She was worried about touching a child there even if it was to put medication on a growing infection. She was especially worried because of the fact that she was taken advantage of. She didn't want Inge to feel uncomfortable. Everything turned out fine though, it's going to take some getting used to. The real problem was finding something for her to sleep in... and then somewhere to sleep. The first one was easy enough, she'll just give Inge one of her shirts. Of course it didn't fit, but she looked so cute! She called for Moblit.

"Did Commander Shadis say where she could sleep?" She asked him.

"I- I don't think so..." Was his hesitant and stuttered answer.

Hanji held her chin in thought and let out a frustrated sigh. "I guess I could bunk with Nanaba and Lynne..." She turned to Inge. "Does that sound good to you? You get my entire room all to yourself!"

Inge put on her best puppy-dog eyes and looked at Hanji through her eyelashes with her lip jutted out. "Can't you stay here with me? I don't wanna sleep alone!" She said.

Hanji thought for a little bit. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt anything..." And so she climbed into bed with the girl and in only a matter of minutes, they were both out cold. Moblit shook his head with a smile, and went off to his own sleeping quarters.

* * *

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	5. Marie is a very nice lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Scouts have to go on their first exhibition since they found and took in Inge. Erwin figured his old friends Nile and Marie would take care of the girl since they have one of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyooooo!
> 
> So did ya'll watch the third episode of season 3? Wasn't it sad? Poor baby Historia... Anywho! When I first started this story I had a main plot with a beginning, middle, and ending... sort of an ending... This might be a very long story. From chapter 4 until the real shit happens, the chapters in this story are just little things I came up with for meeting Eren, Eren introducing Inge to Armin and then to Mikasa when she starts living with the Jeagers, and a shit ton of other cutesy (and not so cutesy) things. Trust me when I say the rating for this baby will go up, during the cadet days too no less. It is currently 9:50 in America... so I'mma write this for ya'll.

* * *

* * *

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Explaining death to a child isn't easy, nor should it have to be explained to a child of only seven years old, but it needed to be done in order to explain why some of the soldiers she's grown to love and trust in the past week may never come back to her. She... took it very well. She looked worried at least when he told her.  _Is that a good thing?_ Shadis asked himself. He must've looked as disturbed as he felt because Inge explained why she felt the way she did about death.

"Death is everywhere." She explained a little too content for Keith's liking. "It could happen any minute, that's what Oma told me at least. She said that we all die sometime so we have to make the best of our lives while we're living. That's why, even though I'm afraid they might hurt me like that man did, I'm okay with Mr. Erwin and Mr. Miche being around me."

She then took the last bite of the breakfast she was eating and excused herself to go see either Nanaba or Hanji to apply her medicine and help her get dressed, leaving Shadis shocked at the table they were eating on.  _Well,_ he thought,  _at least if she does become a soldier she won't worry about anyone dying to further humanity..._ He finished his meal as well, and rushed to find Erwin and Miche, who both saluted him when he found them.

"At ease men." He ordered. "Do any of you know a place that girl of ours can go as we're on our mission?" 

Miche, silent as always shook his head, though Erwin spoke up immediately.

"I'll take her to Nile Dok's house sir." He stated.

"Why his house? I thought he wanted nothing to do with her?"

"He may not, but once his wife sees her he'll have no choice." Erwin said his a smirk.

"You're a manipulative bastard, Smith." Shadis told him as he walked away.

"I know sir." Was his reply, which left Miche snickering.

* * *

* * *

* * *

They were in a carriage, Erwin and Inge, on their way to the Dok residence. Grisha had thought out the Corps taking care of a small child more than anyone else. He had bought a few things in addition to a drawing book for her, including the dress she was wearing now. A simple collard, pale yellow dress, and a pair of laced up, brown leather boots. One of the girls from Miche's squad, Lynne, had brushed her long hair and put it into twin ponytails. She was currently on her knees, looking at the passing town from her seat in the carriage, across from Erwin.  _I really hope I'm right about Marie wanting to watch her_. He thought to himself. The look of wonder and excitement made him genuinely smile. She was just too cute! He needed her childlike positivity in his chaotic life.

The carriage slowed to a stop in front of Nile's house. He hadn't left yet, it was still early, he was probably still eating breakfast. Erwin thought about Marie's pancakes. Oh how he missed them! He thought about asking to take one on the journey with him, but decided it wouldn't be appropriate. He exited the carriage first, then lifted Inge out. He grabbed her small, bony hand before going up to the door of the house. He knocked on the door and heard "I'll get it!" as a response. Marie came to the door, along with a small baby.  _I forgot they'd had a kid_. He thought.

The beautiful woman gasped in delight and surprise and hugged Erwin. "Where did you come all of the sudden Erwin Smith?"

He softly hugged her back, but said nothing.

"I was so surprised to see you, I almost crushed my baby girl!" She smiled that beautiful smile he loved so much. "Come in! Please! I've made Nile and I breakfast!"

"I would love to eat your pancakes. I can smell them fro out here!" He smiled back at her. "But I'm on my way to Shiganshina."

"Oh?" She replied with a saddened expression. "Then why stop by now?"

"I need to ask a favor..." He began, taking Inge, who was behind him, and placing her in front of him with his big hands on her small shoulders. 

"Hello." The girl greeted.

"Hello..." Marie replied. "I didn't know you had a daughter, Erwin... She doesn't look like you at all. Her eyes are two different colors!"

Inge blushed as Erwin spoke. "I'm assuming Nile didn't tell you then." Marie shook her head while still looking at the girl. She stared back, slimming her eyes to glare at the woman. "It's a long story that I'm sure he can explain to you. As for the favor, would you watch her until we come back?"

She smiled. "How could I refuse such a cute, sassy face?" She giggled as Inge stopped her glaring.

Erwin knelt down to her and turned the girl to look at him. "Someone will be back for you by nightfall, okay?" He told her.

"...Okay." She replied, then hugged the large man tightly. He hugged her back, then put her in the care of Marie. 

"Thank you, really." He told her, then saluted her and patted Inge on the head and got into the carriage headed for Shiganshina District. 

" **You better come back you demon bastard!** " She yelled after him. She looked down. The girl was staring at her. "Let's go inside sweetie. You hungry?"

* * *

* * *

* * *

Despite eating back at the Scout's headquarters, Inge ate three of Marie's pancakes. She was glad to serve them to her, she was too thin for her liking. Nile was just staring at her as she ate.

"Nile, dear, I think it's time for you to go..." She stated. 

"Right..." He got up from his chair and walked over to his wife for a goodbye kiss to her cheek, and then a light one to their daughter's head, then went out the door.

She turned around after watching him walk out the door to look at the girl, but she had moved. She felt a tug on her skirt and looked down to see the cute girl was the one doing it. 

"Is that  _your_ baby?" She asked.

Marie smiled and got down on her knees to show her the bundle in her arms. "Yes it is! Isn't she pretty?"

Inge nodded her head. "What's her name?"

"Alice."

"Alice..." She repeated as she poked her finger out for the baby to grab.

"Did you like the pancakes?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah! They were really good! You're a good cook Miss Marie!"

Marie giggled. "You can just call me Marie, sweetie."

"Okay!" Inge looked around. "What're we gonna do all day?"

"Well," Marie thought out loud, "I have to go shopping for groceries and baby items for Alice. I'll get you something too if you want!"

"Okay!" She replied. "Let's go!"

* * *

* * *

* * *

Marie reminded herself to thank her mother-in-law for making her a hold for her baby. It was much easier holding both Inge's hand and the groceries she was to carry with the baby held to her chest by the cradle. The small girl was busy looking around in the town as they walked. After a while, Marie had gotten everything she needed. Inge volunteered to carry some of the lighter bags so that the woman wouldn't be carrying it all with a small baby on her hands. It was on their way back that Marie spotted an adorable, blue, lace dress in a window. She bought it for Inge, then walked her to a salon to give the girl a much-needed haircut. Now she had long, neatly trimmed hair with bangs that parted at the right.

The cute hairstyle complimented her mixed-colored eyes well. Oh she was definitely going to spoil this girl as if she were Marie's own. She would've loved to take Inge to the local park to meet kids her age, but they were all in school. She wondered if Keith Shadis, or any of the others, planned to enroll her in school, or to have her taught by that doctor she talked about so much. Oh yes, Marie was told all about Doctor Jeager and how nice he was. And also about his son, who she was excited to know that he was her age. Inge had told her all about her past as well. She didn't hold anything back, though Marie would've liked it if she had. It was a sad story, and a thought provoking one. She had talked about a festival, so Marie concluded that she probably meant the festival held inside Wall Sina each year. 

When they'd gotten back to Marie's house, Inge had fallen asleep on the sofa beside where the baby's cradle was. She'd slept all through lunch, and Marie didn't have the heart to wake her. The shopping had worn her out. After she had woken up, she played with Alice until dinner time, when Nile came back home. They got along well enough. She sighed at the thought. She was definitely willing to watch the girl again. She was sweet and very well-behaved, and she didn't mouth off or backtalk at all. She was a good kid. A few hours after dinner, it was Miche that came to pick her up. She watched as the girl ran to him and hugged his legs, then reached for his upper body while chanting "Miche! Shoulders!" She must've felt like a titan herself on that man's shoulders! 

Sadly, Miche didn't stay to chat for long. Although, unlike Erwin, he did come inside and sit down to chat. All the while Inge was still on his shoulders. When they got up to leave, Inge shouted and waved goodbye to the entire family, including the baby, and shouted about her day with Marie to Miche as he walked away, presumably to a horse or carriage to take them back to headquarters. 

"See," Marie said to her husband, "she's not bad at all!"

He walked up to her and embraced her, planting a kiss to her lips. "Yeah I guess. She is a real good kid."

"Good, because we're going to watch her from now on."

Nile rolled his eyes.

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow my schedule I think you'll notice my unintentional pattern... Anyways, there ya go! It took me HOURS to write this. Comments are always appreciated. Don't be shy! Tell me your thoughts! Did you think it was good? Bad? Did you like it but are bugged by something I've written? Or maybe you hated it but like the writing style and idea? Tell me about it! Trust me I can take the criticism or compliment. Don't hold back you pussies! See ya tomorrow with another chapter! Auf Wiedersehen!


	6. The Doctor's son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor's son finally comes to visit! He's a strange boy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I didn't post anything last night guys. I had to babysit so I tried going to bed early. I did start a chapter last night... but I figured that I got a lot of shit to write if I'm gonna make this SnK's length. So no more irrelevant bullshit. Time to get to everyone's favorite angry German boy! Btw I'm still hella tired...

It's been three weeks since Inge first saw Doctor Jeager, and last week he'd told her that she was healed up and that he'd bring Eren with him! She was prepared. Marie had bought her some pants so she could run around and climb thing like kids do, so she put them on with a plain white, button up shirt. She figured they'd be going outside to play. She was slowly gaining a healthy weight, and her pale skin was turning a healthy pink again. She could eat full meals now as well, and she had more stamina than she did when she first came into the walls. 

She was giddy. Jumping up and down and kicking her feet when she was sitting. She was nervous. Is that what nervous feels like? Oh no, what if she's sick? She put a hand just under one of her eyes. What if he thinks she's weird because of her eyes and doesn't want to talk to her? What if he's creeped out by it? She thought about steeling an eye-patch from the medical room to cover one of them, but that would be too troublesome. Maybe she could...

She perked up at the sound of hooves and wheels.  _They're here!_ She was suddenly shy and sick in her stomach. She didn't want to tell Nanaba, who was the one sitting beside her at the moment. She was panicking, then she heard Mr. Shadis and Doctor Jeager's voices outside of the door. She squeaked like a mouse and ran behind the sofa.

"Inge I thought you wanted to meet Eren?" Nanaba asked. As she said that, Doctor Jeager entered the room and she ducked so they couldn't see her. She had a hand clutching her heart, trying to slow the pounding.

She heard Doctor Jeager ask, "where's Inge?"

Nanaba replied with, "hiding."

"I thought she  _wanted_ to meet Eren."

"Me too, but I think she got nervous."  _Damn right she's nervous!_ She was worried about so many things! "She's behind the sofa."  _Nanaba!_ She thought. How dare she betray Inge! 

She heard heavy footsteps and looked up to meet Doctor Jeager's glared glasses. "Aren't you going to come out? Eren's been waiting to meet you." He told her.

"Hello Doctor Jeager." Was her reply. 

He held out his large hand to her. "Come on, he won't bite!"

She stared at him for a few seconds, then took his hand and stood up and followed him over to his son. He seemed to be a giant compared to her! She studied his appearance.  _He's cute..._ The thought made her face red. He had short, dark brown hair, just like his dad! His eyes were the most beautiful shade of green she'd ever seen! If it was possible, her face got redder at that thought as well. She noticed Doctor Jeager and Eren had the same color everything, but if you met the two you'd have never known their relations if you didn't ask. Doctor Jeager was handsome, but Eren just seemed better looking than his old man...

"Say hello, Eren." The man instructed his son.

"Hi Inge..." He said.

 _His voice is nice too!_ She raised a hand as if to wave at him. "Hello..." She greeted softly.

"You guys go somewhere else to play while the adults and I talk here, okay?" 

Eren had to grab Inge by the wrist and drag her away and outside of the room. They stood outside for a while after Grisha shut the door.

"Do you think I'm weird?" Inge asked the boy.

"Well yeah." He said.

She looked down at her feet. "Is it because of my eyes?"

Eren raised an eyebrow. "No, it's because you said you were excited to meet me, and then you hid from me. Your eyes are cool."

Inge blushed once again. "I'm sorry." She said. "I was excited to meet you, but also very nervous because you're a boy, and boys have always been mean to me..."

"well if you're nice to me, then I have no reason to be mean to you." He told her. "Hey." He said to get her to lift her head again, and continued when she did. "Show me around so we're not standing in the middle of the hall all day."

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

"So you're a book nerd huh?"

They were sitting in the grass in the courtyard of the Scout's headquarters. She showed him everywhere she's been in the huge, old, remodeled castle, and also to the places she's never seen. She specifically saved some places to explore with Eren. She liked him. He was a decent boy, and though to the average person he may seem rude, but she learned that he's just blunt and very friendly when you get to know him. She also learned he's not popular in Shiganshina, and that he only has one friend who's bullied by the other kids. Armin, apparently that's his name, is also a book nerd, which led to Eren's current question.

"Yeah." Was her reply. "I used to read all the time before I was taken from my parents. I really want more books to read, I've already read all of the ones here."

His eyes blew up wide. "You read  _every single one_ of those books?!"

Inge nodded. "Well, some of them Miche and Miss Hanji hid from me because  _they're not for kids._ " 

"...Okay then..." He replied. "Hey, the next time there's a scouting expedition, you should stay at my house! You can meet Armin and look at the book his parents gave him!"

Inge blushed for the fifth time that day. "Okay, I'll ask Mr. Shadis."

"Great!" He exclaimed. "I'll ask dad!" 

* * *

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* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's literally been twelve hours since I started on this chapter because a bunch of shit went on today. I laughed, I cried (at the new SnK chapter 108), and now I'm hella tired... more tired. But this thing is out before midnight so... Meh. btw spoilers from here on out. Auf Wiedersehen.
> 
> P.S. Now that I look over it, the chapter is longer than I thought it was...


	7. Shiganshina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inge is able to stay at the Doctor's house and play with Eren as the Scouts go on yet another expedition. She Eren's book loving friend Armin and goes to their hideout, where she tells them all about the outside world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Long time no see right? So, I have no fucking plan for this chapter. I don't know how long it will be or what exactly it'll be about... but It's been a week since I last posted, and it's 9:30 at night, so I figured I'd better get writing. I hope you guys like it, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

It's been a few weeks since Eren first visited Inge at the Scouting Headquarters, and it was time for another expedition. After begging for a few minutes (because they really didn't have to beg), Shadis and Grisha agreed to let Inge stay in Shiganshina with the Jeagers while the Scouts were on their mission. Shadis figured it would save some more time for the mission if they didn't have to wait for Erwin to drop the girl off at the Dok's residence and then return to his position to start their task. And so Inge rode in front of Miche on his horse to Shiganshina. She was excited the whole time. She was going to meet Eren's mother! She imagined the woman was beautiful. Eren was going to introduce her to Armin! Which was even more exciting because Eren said that she and Armin are a lot alike and have a lot in common. He apparently has a lot of good books to borrow and knows where the best library in Shiganshina is.

Miche dropped her off at the Jeager's house with more grunts than words (as usual), patted her with a caring smile as she hugged his legs goodbye. She watched out a window with Eren as Miche rode his horse to his place in the formation. It was a new formation Erwin came up with that Shadis finally decided to approve.

Despite his mother's protests, Eren grabbed Inge's hand and dragged her to watch them off. She would later learn that this was a common thing for Eren to do. They ran to the street that the Scouts were gathered out to depart. Citizens were gathered on the sides of the dirt road to watch, a majority of them were adults, so they had to get on top of a bench to watch the Scouts depart. Eren held onto Inge's wrist loosely as they watched. His eyes were glued to Shadis as he waited for him to announce the expedition's start. While waiting for the gates to open, Inge caught Hanji in the mix. She saw Inge as well, and smiled as she waved at her. Inge smiled and waved back, knowing that she may never see any of them again. She made a last second decision as the gates started to lift open.

" **Please be saaaaaffffe!** " She bellowed out, making the group that takes care of her turn their heads to look at her from their different positions.

Then Shadis bellowed his starting phrase announcing the expedition, along with the commencing term, " **Onward!** " and they were off.

The kids watched as the Scouts headed outside the walls, into titan territory. They stayed in place on top of the bench while everyone else dispersed until another kid came running at them, calling Eren's name. Eren took his eyes away from the gate, finally, to acknowledge the boy that ran towards them. He was shorter than Eren, she noted after he had jumped down from the bench they were standing on. He had blonde hair that framed his face.  _That's a very girly haircut for a boy..._ She thought. His face was red, presumably from running, and he had big, baby blue eyes that shone in the sunlight. She noted that he dressed like an old man, and she wondered why he did if he was a year and a month older than her. She watched him as he squealed to Eren about something. She didn't know what, she wasn't really listening, but he seemed very excited about it. He suddenly looked at her.  _Right. At. Her._ She blushed. His eyes were so pretty!

"Hi!" He said to her. "I'm Armin." 

"My name's Inge." She replied quietly.

"Let's go to our spot!" Eren suggested to him. "She likes books just like you, and you have a bunch of books stashed there on't you?"

Armin nodded. "Yeah," he looked to her again, "let's go! You'll like it!"

So they walked. As they walked around the town Inge noticed how dirty and rundown it looked compared to where Miss Marie and Mr. Nile lived. The streets weren't paved, and there weren't really any sidewalks, and the buildings seemed more cramped together and rundown. She guessed Shiganshina was a place where most of the poor people lived. It reminded her of the place her father lived back in Marley. She wondered if it was illegal for these people to go outside of the walls they built. It was where her father lived unless they had a pass. She suddenly missed her parents. She wondered what was going on back in Marley. How was the Warrior Program coming along? Have they found kids for it yet? She knew a boy that had a similar story to her that wanted to become an Honorary Marleyan so he and his mother could live with his father. She hoped that one day, he'd get his wish.

She noticed they'd arrived at a large, rundown barn. There was a ladder leading up to a small window. It was an old chicken coup, one that seemingly was still together as she watched Eren start climbing the ladder. She wasn't worried about the height, she'd climbed trees bigger than that! She waited for Armin to climb up a little before she followed after the two boys. She regretted wearing a dress. At least it was an older one. The floor was still covered in hay, and it was dirty. Needless to say, she was going to need a bath when she got back home. There were still haystacks around the room, which she guessed acted as a hiding place for them for when the owners came to see what was rustling in their barn.

Armin showed her where the books were, and which ones were his favorites. He showed them that his parents were building what he called a, "flying machine", which was what Inge knew was called a hot air balloon, so she informed them of what it was. She explained how it worked from the memories of her mother explaining the blimp in Marley. She told them how she knew that when they asked for her to explain. Armin's eyes lit up and he rushed over to the pile of books they kept in the room and brought it over to her and Eren.

"My parents said this was a book our family hid from the government on hundred years ago!" He explained. "Eren and I talked about going outside the walls one day, defeating the titans, and seeing everything in this book. We're going to explore the world! Rivers of fire! Lands of snow and ice! Mountains of sand! Have you seen them Inge?" 

She liked his enthusiasm, and the way his eyes sparkled with excitement over the thought of the places he's never seen. "There are lands made of sand to the far north of where I live." She explained to the two boys. "They're called deserts, and the mountains of sand are called 'sand dunes'. The rivers of fire is called 'lava' they come from volcanoes-!" 

She explained everything she knew about everything in the book. It took a few hours, and the boys listened intently and asked questions the whole time. Inge felt special and smart. She knew all these things, and they didn't! And she was younger than them! 

"What about the ocean?" Armin asked. "Have you seen it? Is it as blue as this book says it is? Is it really full of salt?"

"Yeah I've seen it!" Inge replied. "It's very salty, it doesn't taste very good at all. It's very blue depending on how the light shines. In fact, the ocean is how I got here."

"What?! Really?!" Eren exclaimed.

"Yeah, you guys live on an island. Didn't you know that?"

"You're from outside the walls?" Armin questioned.

Inge nodded her head. "You can't tell anyone though! It's our little secret!"

The boys nodded, but that wasn't enough for her. She stuck out both of her hands and pinky fingers.

"Pinky promise!" She demanded with a serious, stern face.

"Pinky promise." The boys stated in unison, wrapping their digits around hers.

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Armin's finally in the story! I fucking LOVE Armin. Anyway! It's 2 AM in the morning, and this is a lot longer than I realized... and this has more spoilers than I thought it would have, but here you go! I shall be back next Sunday/Monday with another chapter! Auf Wiedersehen!


	8. No Man is Strong Enough...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit. I have no fucking clue what this chapter's main plot is going to be about so... yolo I guess...
> 
> Anyway, I know I said I'd start posting every Sunday, but gimme a break, I'm on vacation and it's been pretty busy... busy fun that is.
> 
> So here we go.

The boys never stopped asking Inge questions about the outside world. Not even when climbing down the ladder. She was a patient girl though, and she loved answering questions. Eren got enough answers after a while, however Armin kept inquiring about anything and everything. They walked back the way they came, and even though it had been hours since they left, the Scouts weren't back yet. Inge wasn't worried. It wouldn't be the first time they were out all day. She wondered how many she'd seen for the last time when they left. She learned that depending on how long they were gone, the less likely the group raising her is to come back to her.

They reached Eren's house, where Armin finally decided to stop his endless questioning. As Eren walked in the door, he greeted his mother, to which she replied with a big smile and rushing to the door from the sink and giving him a big hug.

"And where were you today dear?" She asked him cheerfully. 

"Armin and I took Inge to our secret place." He explained gesturing to his two friends behind him.

Carla looked to Armin. "Hello Armin! Nice to see you!"

"Hello Mrs. Jeager." He replied with a small smile.

Carla then looked to Inge and softened her expression a bit. "And you're Inge." She said. Inge nodded. "Grisha and Eren talk a lot about you! You're just as cute as they say!"

Inge blushed. "Thank you Miss Carla."

The dark haired woman pouted. "What is with you kids and your manners? You don't have to call me 'Miss Carla', or, 'Mrs. Jeager'. My name's just Carla!" She smiled again. "Anyway, I know that Inge will stay for dinner, but what about you Armin? Will you stay?"

"Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks!" The blonde replied.

* * *

* * *

* * *

Eren and Armin showed Inge to Eren's room, where all of his toys were, while Carla finished making dinner. They both had great imaginations, Armin more though, as Eren was more violent in how he imagined things. Armin imagined them all at the beach, watching the waves and playing in the sand. He imagined picking up colorful things the book he had described as being fragile, colored rocks called "seashells". Eren, on the other hand, imagined himself cutting down the titans to get to the ocean.

"Can you keep a secret?" He asked her, and when she nodded he looked at his door making sure it was shut before he continued, and spoke softly. "I'm going to join the scouts when I'm old enough!" He had a big grin on his face, his eyes full of excitement as he spoke of his future deadly career choice.

"It's not as fun as you think Eren." Inge replied.

Eren's face immediately dropped. "Oh yeah?" He said full of anger.

"You think it's going to be fun and fulfilling cutting down the monsters that keep you on this island, but I assure you that if you don't freeze up as soon as you're face-to-face with them, you'll die by their giant hands eventually."

Eren was fuming at this point. "What makes you so sure?!"

"There was a woman on Erwin's team that was considered his best soldier, she died on the last expedition." Eren remained silent as Armin put his head down. "Even the strongest are weak, the big groups outnumbered, the fastest caught by surprised, and the smartest caught by those dumb creatures. You think that just because your determined makes them less hungry?"

"She has a point Eren" Armin spoke up. "No matter how determined you are to get to the outside world, we may never make it."

"There's not a strong enough man in the world that can survive more than twenty years in the scouts." Inge stated. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been back from vacation for a week... or two, but school started while I was on vacation so I've been hella busy.
> 
> Yes, it is a short ass chapter, but I want to get to how Inge meets Levi ASAP so that's what this chapter is leading up to. Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy. Gut Abend.


	9. There are strange people from the Underground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie has been looking after Inge for a few days while the Scouts and Nile's Military Police hunt the notorious thugs in the Underground. Inge meets these new people; A young girl named Isabel, an older boy named Furlan, and a young man named Levi...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, shit has been happening people. It's been a busy week. The guy that I like scared me to death by messaging me and saying he was in a car accident, I had to study for an exam for one of my college classes, and there's been a mold outbreak in my school district. Now I have angioedema, and that's basically my body's version of anaphylaxic shock, and one of the school staff and the nurse were arguing with me Wednesday because they didn't want to send me home. I eventually got the permission to go home and fifteen minutes later we got a call from the school that the mold had spread and it happened that I actually DID breath the damn mold and that's why I was going into anaphylaxic shock. So fuck them, but here goes the story.
> 
> We're finally getting to see Levi! Yay!
> 
> Btw the shit above is hella old. My life is a mess right now and I'm having trouble keeping track of shit.

It had been a few days since Nanaba dropped Inge off at the Dok's residence. She wondered with Marie what was going on. Miss Marie had said that Mr. Nile can't tell her anything because it's controversial and important to keep secret until they are aloud to tell the public. So Inge decided to talk about Hanji, and how stinky she is. She never takes a bath, but  _Inge_ has to  _all the time!_ "It's just not fair!" she stated to Marie. She just laughed at how grumpy the small girl seemed about it. 

The entire week that Inge was with Marie and her baby girl, who is growing  _a lot,_ they went shopping in town, went to eat, saw a show or two, and got their hair cut. They did a lot while she was there. Eventually, Inge started running out of things to do, and playing with the baby got boring after a little while. Inge wished that Armin and Eren lived near the Dok's house. It wasn't very convenient with them living in the very south of Wall Maria, while the Doks lived in the interior of Wall Rose. She wished she'd borrowed some books from Armin so that she wasn't completely board. She played with her newly cut hair while lying across a chair in the living area, watching the ceiling. The bland, white ceiling. She fell asleep there after a while, and woke up to play with the baby. 

After being very bored for a few hours, Inge heard the clip-clap of horseshoe clad hooves outside and looked out the window to see Mr. Nile and Erwin. She immediately perked up and ran to the door, throwing it open and running to jump into Erwin's arms. She hugged him tight around the neck, nearly cutting off his oxygen in the process. The tall man said nothing, but hugged her back. Inge pulled back from the hug and took hold of Erwin's face with both of her small hands and gave him a small scowl. 

"I was bored all week!" She told him.

"You didn't play with the baby?" He asked, he was more serious then usual.

"Babies get boring after a while." She explained. "There was nothing to do! I'm bringing my art supplies next time, or you can take me to Shiganshina!"

Erwin ignored her and thanked Marie for watching her. She didn't get to hug the Doks goodbye, instead she waved as Erwin carried her to a carriage. "I have a job for you." He told the girl as he carried her to the carriage.

"What is it?"

"There are other people in this carriage, I'm going to put you in it with them. Can you keep an eye on them for me? It's very important." He explained.

Her eyes lit up. An important job? "I can do it!" She determinedly stated. 

He opened the carriage door to reveal three people in dirty-ish clothing. Two boys, and a girl that was not much older than her, maybe 15 or 16? She had scraggly red hair and green eyes, one boy was tall and had blond hair and blue eyes, and one was very short with raven-black hair and sharp blue eyes. The small one looked scary and mean, so Inge tried her best to look mean back. The man raised his eyebrows just the smallest bit out of humor from the little girl trying to act tough.

"Watch them carefully okay?" Erwin told her. She nodded and tried her best to look intimidating, even though she was small. Erwin ruffled her hair and looked at the three. "Don't try anything." He growled. Inge took her seat and Erwin shut the carriage door and went to his horse, leaving her with the other three.

She sat straight by the girl, and glared back at the steel gaze of the raven haired man. After a few minutes of glaring at each other, the blonde boy next to the man nudged him with his elbow and snickered. "Looks like you finally met your match, ay Levi?"

The man said nothing while the girl next to Inge started snickering as well. She kept her glare glued to the quiet man. Psh, he isn't  _that_ intimidating.

* * *

* * *

* * *

They arrived at the barracks, Inge ended up falling asleep on the long drive. Miche opened the door and snatched Inge out from the carriage, cradling her close to him as he waited for the other three to get out. Levi threw the tall man a death glare, Miche just smirked back at him as he walked by. Miche passed the small sleeping beauty to Nanaba, who then took her to her room (after months of work, yes they had finally been able to give Inge her own room). The three watched her carry the girl away, then Isabel, the small redhead, spoke up to her friends.

"She's so cute!" She squealed. 

Furlan, the tall blonde, snorted, "she's not even afraid of your glares!" He poked Levi on the shoulder.

"Why the hell would these shit-brains keep a child with them?" Levi question.

"We found her outside the walls." Erwin walked up to the trio. "She had nowhere to got and we weren't about to leave her at one of the orphanages where she'll be used like a doll."

"That's pretty selfless for a selfish shits like the Scouting Legion."

"You're calling  _us_ selfish? You three are criminals. Well,  _ex-_ criminals." The blonde smirked. "Let's go," he said, "we have things to do."

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Who were those people?" Inge asked the group of soldiers as they ate their dinner.

"They're new allies!" Hanji exclaimed with excitement. "That short one is going to give us such a boost! With him  _and_ Miche, we may come back with less casualties!"

"If they'll actually cooperate." Nanaba replied.

"If they make it back from the next expedition." The usually quiet Miche chimed in.

Inge stared at her stew. "They didn't look very happy on the way here. Did you make them join?" She looked up slightly from her stew to question Erwin.

"We're doing them a favor, and what's best for us right now." He explained.

"Where did they come from?"

Miche spoke up again. "The Underground."

"The Underground?" Inge questioned.

"It's a city located underneath Wall Sina's capitol." Moblit explained.

"That sounds scary..."

"That's why we brought them up here," Erwin stated, "They have exceptional abilities, and they were going to waste in that dump. We did them a favor."

Inge smiled brightly. "That was nice of you!" No one replied to her compliment, and so she focused on eating again. After a while she asked for their names.

"The blonde is Furlan Church, the girl is Isabel Magnolia, and the short man is Levi." Erwin explained.

"Levi what?" She asked.

"We don't know. He just said Levi."

She looked down at her soup again.  _The short raven-haired man's name is Levi. The girl is Isabel. The tall, blonde boy is Furlan...._

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

Inge woke up the next morning and it must've been late because the sun was halfway up in the sky. Someone usually got her up after the sun just hit over the trees outside her window, but no one came. She got out of bed and dressed by herself. Though she didn't know how to do her hair, she picked up a comb anyway and tried untangling the mop on her head. It didn't work. It hurt too much so she decided to abandon it and run around to try and find Nanaba. She was much better at doing her hair than Hanji was. She ended up outside after running into the kitchen and stealing an apple for breakfast. Everyone was lined up doing their strange gesture to Shadis, so she waited patiently. Inge had only interrupted him in the middle of a tirade once and it ended up with her drowning in tears of fear because of how mean he sounded. Shadis made up for it with as many sweets as he could afford though, so she forgave him. 

After Shadis gave his orders, Inge ran to Nanaba, who gasped in surprise at her messy and knotty hair. "Can you do it?" She asked the woman.

"I don't really have a choice do I?" She replied before grabbing the girls hand and walking away. Inge caught the eye of the redheaded girl, Isabel as they walked past her and the two boys and she stopped.

"Can we bring Isabel with us? She looks like she needs a haircut..." She kept her sight on Isabel's messy and uneven red hair. "She also looks like she needs a bath..."

Nanaba followed her line of sight to the young girl and thought about it. It did look like she needed a haircut, but they needed to learn more important things than hygiene, and she'd rather not have Shadis on her ass.  _Nah... it's too risky..._ "She has more important things than getting a bath to do. Besides Inge, you don't want her to get in trouble with Shadis do you?"

Inge shook her head. "He's scary when he yells." 

As they walked away, Isabel kept her gaze on them. They were looking at her right? They were staring for a really long time too... Did the uniform look bad on her? She didn't think so... The little girl's hair was worse than hers! They should really worry about themselves!

"You should ask if that lady will do your hair too, maybe she'll cut it as well." Furlan told her.

Isabel pouted. "Mind your own business! My hair looks fine!"

"It's uneven from when that guy cut one of your pigtails off." Levi stated.

"It looks fine!"

* * *

* * *

* * *

It took an hour to get the knots out of Inge's hair. Nanaba's hands ached from pulling on the brush, but she still had to go back to training. The girl was currently laying on the sofa in her room reading a book she got from her little blonde friend in Shiganshina. Something about a princess most likely. From what she's heard, she makes those poor boys be princes and fight over her "affections" while she gives them orders. She has those two wrapped around her tiny finger. 

She wondered if she should take the day off to make sure she's okay... but she really didn't want to double up on training. She figured Inge would be okay for the day. She had plenty to do after all... Nanaba wished her little friends lived around the town and not so far away. She would be able to run around with them if she got bored, and Mrs. Jeager would be happy to look after a girl every once in a while. Nanaba got her 3D-maneuver gear back on, she had taken it off to do Inge's hair, and made sure her uniform was comfortable enough for the gear before starting out the door.

"I'm gonna go now Inge!" She called to the girl. "Be good, don't go outside the headquarters, don't get yourself killed... you know the drill!"

She didn't look up from her book. "Bye Nana, don't get hurt."

Inge heard a few footsteps before hearing the door close, then everything was silent and she was alone. She continued reading her book for a while, but it got boring after reading for so long. She put her book down and decided to draw, then when she was bored of that, she ran around the building to get her energy out and stretch her legs, Then she went back to her room to take a nap. It was only a half-hour before she heard the door to her room click. It was nearly lunchtime, so she thought it must be someone getting her for lunch. As she sat up in her bed, she noticed the footsteps outside her door were quick, and that was unusual. She quickly jumped down to the floor and rushed to catch the people. She noticed a boot going around the hallway corner and followed it quickly, but quietly, making sure she wouldn't be heard. She stopped before she got to the corner of the hall. She heard the footsteps stop when they rounded the corner. She put herself against the wall, and peeked around the corner slowly.

Inge saw something flicker in the sunlight of one of the windows, and then there was an arm around her middle, and a hand over her mouth. She's felt that before, and knew it couldn't be good. The only way to solve this predicament was to fight. So she squirmed, and bit down on the hand holding her screams hostage. She heard a grunt behind her.

" _Fuck_ , damn brat." He whispered. "Isabel, put your knife away."

The young woman made a face as if she broke a vase, and did what she was told. There were two people in front of Inge, both from the carriage ride from the Dok's house to headquarters. The blond and the girl Isabel, were in front of her, so that would mean the small man with raven hair was the one holding her. She wasn't having it, so she struggled more and bit his hand harder. He cursed again, but still didn't let go.

"Just knock her out!" Furlan whispered frantically.

"No!" The short man whispered back. "We're not risking killing her. She's just a kid, we'll bribe her with something."

They quieted when voices started echoing through the halls. Isabel and the blond's eyes got wide, and they carried Inge back to her room and locked the door. Levi stood in front of the entrance of the room, most likely waiting to attack. 

There was a knock.

Then a voice.

"Inge?" It shouted through the wood, "you okay? We heard voices." 

Isabel was covering the girl's mouth, but she slipped from the redhead's grip. "I'm okay!" She shouted back confidently. "The voices are me! I'm just playing!"

Levi waited, but no one entered the room, or at least tried, so he assumed they were satisfied with the answer and walked away. He turned to look at the kid.

"What do you want?" He growled.

"Me?!" She said. "You came into my room! I thought you were Zoe! What do _you_ want?" 

Levi thought for a moment, and came to the conclusion that this dumb kid could show them where those damn papers they've been looking so hard for were  

"I'll tell you what," he told her, "we're looking for something one of our shitty friends lost, a letter with a Military Police stamp on it. Do you know where it is?" 

She stayed silent. 

"I'll give you whatever you want if you can tell us." 

She grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Gimme a giant lollipop from the fancy store in the city!" She told him. 

"That's it?" What exactly was he expecting? She's a seven-year-old child. Of course she wants sweets as a bargain!

"Yeah! Miche and Nanaba won't let me have one because they say it's too sugary and expensive. So I want that!"

"Alright, deal." Inge stuck out her little hand, so Levi took the offer and shook on it. "Now, do you know where it is?" 

"Erwin's office on the top floor to the left, down that _really_ long hallway. He keeps all of his important things there I think." 

Levi smirked. "Thanks." Then his face fell serious again. "But this stays a secret, you understand? Or we will not give you that candy pop."

Inge's brows furrowed. "Lollipop!" 

"Whatever. We appreciate it." The three went to the door and listened for anyone outside. When they established there was no one, they made their escape to Erwin's office, leaving Inge alone again.

"What strange people." She said quietly to herself. 

* * *

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, this chapter was gonna have the ENTIRE story of A Choice With No Regrets in it. But I'm going to skip some things since the story is in a small child's point of view. I was also going to have it all in just one chapter, but if I'm including Mikasa as I plan to, then I'm splitting it into two chapters. The next will definitely be out sooner. I'm thinking of posting once a month on a Saturday from now on because I have musical and choir practice almost every weekday from now on. Thank you so much for your attention to this story and your patience! Here is a log awaited and most likely disappointing chapter. The good news is that this is only a rough draft, and when I complete this story then I'll polish it to make it better.


	10. Mikasa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Scouts go out on another mission with their three new recruits, Inge stays in Shiganshina with Carla while Grisha and Eren visit a patient. When they come home there's someone else with them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! A chapter?! Yeah, I have musical practice for 5 hours tomorrow, which means I'll be at the school for more than 12 FUCKING HOURS. And so, I won't be writing this week... or the rest of this month... maybe, because it'll be like this for a while. So have a chapter!

The three strange people kept their promise of giving Inge the big, fancy, gourmet lollipop she asked them for, and so she kept up her end of the deal. From what she understood, they didn’t get caught doing whatever they were doing. However, she guessed by everyone’s demeanor around the three that they had gotten on everyone else’s good side by giving their precious girl a “gift”, a;though Mike and Erwin were annoyed by the fact it was something that gave her so much sugary energy.

Everything went on according to Erwin’s plan, or so Inge had heard around the dinner table with the rest of the people involved in the plan. He was more bragging than anything Inge thought. He was gloating about how everything, however she didn’t understand what “everything” was, was going completely according to his agenda, and that they were going out on another expedition.

Inge should be worried, but she’s more excited than anything. Nanaba and Hanji told her that she was to go to Shiganshina, as Miss Marie just had her baby, and needs time to rest. It was a good time to go as well, because Inge had just finished the last book in the pile that Armin had let her barrow, and she was excited to see him again and talk about the story. She was excited to see Eren again as well, but she secretly like Armin a bit more. He was calmer, and smarter, and was much more interested in the same things she liked. She was also excited to see Miss Carla again, and Dr. Jaeger, and she was excited to see what other things the boys could show her. Maybe Armin will let her braid his hair again…

Needless to say, She was bouncing on the carriage’s seat as the headed towards Shiganshina. When they arrived, she patiently, as patiently as she could, for Dr. Jaeger and Eren to show up. They didn’t show up right away, so she decided to say good luck to everyone. She hugged Erwin’s legs, was nearly squished in a bearhug by Miche, got her cheeks pinched off by Nanaba, and then kissed better by an overly ecstatic Hanji. While being attacked by the hyperactive woman, she saw the trio of strange people reddying their horses and looking determined as ever. They looked too serious, and maybe a bit sad over something, so she decided to go over to them.

She hugged Isabell, who oddly enough, hugged her back, then Furlan, who patted her head awkwardly, and finally Levi, who stiffened up like the hardest wooden board in the world.

“The hell are you doing brat?” He asked her.

“You might not make it back, and even if you’re all weird, I like you, so I’m giving you a proper goodbye.”

He patted her on the head with a gesture as stiff as his back, and slowly pushed her off of him. “Okay then, goodbye, and um… be good, I guess…”

She turned away from the man when she heard Erwin yelling for her. It wasn’t Eren or Dr. Jaeger to pick her up, it was Miss Carla, which was a surprise to her. Miss Carla has never picked her up before. No matter, she took the woman’s hand as they went into the crowd of people that had gathered, and listened for Shadis to scream for the gate to be opened, and his speech. When he was done announcing the expedition, Inge yelled as she usually does, this time being, “ **I love you!** ”, drawing out  _you_ before they started trotting through the inner gate.

“Where are Eren and Dr. Jaeger?” Inge asked Carla on their way home.

“Grisha and Eren went to the mountains on the outskirts of Shiganshina to visit a patient.” She told her.

“Why did Eren go?”

“Because Grisha’s patient is another girl around you guys’ age, and he thought they could both use more friends.” She explained.

“Oh…”

Carla laughed. “Don’t worry, it was last minute, but Armin should be coming over later today to play with you, so you won’t be very lonely. Besides, I’m here!”

She smiled at Inge. Carla has always had such a warm, beautiful smile. And so she smiled back.

* * *

* * *

* * *

 Inge wasn't asked, but she helped Carla with the laundry, the dishes, and the cleaning. The woman taught her some good tricks for cleaning in return, because everyone should prepare to fall on house-duty when they grow up, or at least that's what she'd told the girl. Inge happily took the advice, because while Hanji and Nanaba were great, they were soldiers, and definitely  _not_ mothers. Miss Marie and Miss Carla were the closest Inge was going to get to a normal life when it came down to it. After they cleaned, they baked, and Inge told Carla that she loved baking more than anything in the world.

Later that day, Armin came over just as Miss Carla said he would. Inge was so happy to see him, that she hugged him as tight as she could, this made him blush so much that his entire face was red. She and Carla laughed when they saw his face, and Inge's face went rosy as well. The woman told her to be back before dinner, and that if he wanted, Armin could stay for dinner as well. They nodded, and began their trek to their hideout in the barn. They talked about the books he let her barrow, and he told her about some others he thought she'd like eve better. Inge stopped in her tracks suddenly and took Armin's hand. He blushed again.

"Wha-what are you doing?" He asked her.

"Let's go somewhere else!" She said enthusiastically. "I think that you and I should have a spot to hide from Eren when he gets annoying! A spot that only you and I know about!"

"Where exactly would that be?" She started leading him down an alleyway that stopped just before a small, but concealing, patch of wooded area containing tall, thick trees. Armin pulled back before they entered it. "Ah, what if there are wolves or something in there?"

She smiled at him. "It's okay!" She told him cheerfully. "If there are wolves in the woods, then I'll protect you!"

"With what?" 

"Don't worry about it, just know that I'll protect you!" She continued to drag him through the trees, and he decided against all of his better judgment to trust her, and stopped resisting her pulling him further and further into the unknown of the cascading trees. They walked for a few minutes, still holding hands, and Armin's face still beet red, until they came across a canopy of light seemingly in the middle of the woods. It was a circle of light just big enough for them to sit down in, which they did, right across from each other. They looked up at the clouds slowly crossing by, never once saying a word. They didn't have to. They found their spot. It was warm and beautiful, and had the perfect lighting. He knew, because while she was watching the clouds, he was watching her with a dusting of pink on his cheeks to match hers, and a small smile to compliment it.

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

They went home after a while, and they ate dinner at the Jaeger's house before Armin went home. Inge slept in Eren's bed that night instead of the small cot they kept for her, as he and Dr. Jaeger weren't home until morning.  _When_ they came home, there was an extra person with them. A girl the same height as Eren, and of course taller than her, with nearly black eyes they were so dark, and hair as black as Levi's, the man who's part of the Underground Trio Erwin brought up. She had no expression, and was wearing Eren's red scarf. Her complexion was paler than the moon, and her dark eyes, were shaped in an odd way that Inge remembered only seeing a few times on her very rare trips into Marley. Her father once told her people who looked like her were called "Oriental" or "Asian". Even though her appearance was different, she was the most beautiful individual Inge had ever seen... Grisha introduced her to Inge and Carla with warmth and a cold sweat.

Her name is Mikasa. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I SEE A ROMANCE STARTING! FINALLY! I've been waiting for the opportunity to write the Armin x OC romance into the story forever! I think it's starting out well. See you guys in a month. It's 1:15 am and I'm hella tired. 
> 
> Also this is probably the best written chapter...


	11. Grandfather Arlert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the arrival of Mikasa, Dr. Jaeger had Inge settled in at Armin's house until the Scouts got back. Armin certainly isn't opposed to it, however Inge has some trouble warming up to his beloved grandfather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter early??? What???
> 
> That's right folks! I'm back! The musical is over, so I should be able to post for often, but I'm going to stick with my once-a-month schedule, just in case. I should have the Pennsylvania Keystone test(s) coming up soon, the Algebra one, which I have given up on, so that'll be stressful. It'll be fine though. It's currently 2 am over here, so is there a better time to post? Btw, google docs says this is 3 pages worth of story so... don't complain about it not being a long enough chapter...

Dr. Jaeger didn’t want Inge at the house as they got Mikasa settled in. He explained to her and Carla as Eren was showing her around, that she was kidnapped by slave traders and planned to sell her to perverts in the Underground because of her race. She understood why he wanted her to leave, he probably wanted Mikasa to get used to her new home and surroundings before formally introducing the two, and so while Carla helped the girl get cleaned up, Dr. Jaeger took Inge to Armin’s house for the rest of her stay. 

When they got there, Armin’s grandfather didn’t need an explanation to have Inge stay with them. He told Dr. Jaeger that he had a spare bedroom, and that it was just him and Armin, so she was more than welcome to stay for however long she needed. Inge was hiding behind Dr. Jaeger while the two men spoke. Although he was Armin’s family, and she trusted Armin, she was terrified of the old man. He was a stranger, he was tall, and although he had a kind face, he had a big bushy beard and mustache. Inge’s captor had one like that as well, that man was just about twenty years younger…

The girl was nearly in tears looking up at the man trying to talk to her, that is until she saw Armin coming to the door with a lit up face and an excited “Hello, Inge!” She ignored Armin’s grandfather and ran straight for the boy, hugging him tight. The tears started to fall onto Armin’s shirt as she let out her fear. He hugged back a little confused, and patted her back as she started to calm down. 

“Is she okay?” The old man asked concerned.

“Ah, well she’s gone through a rough time before she was taken in by the scouts, and she has trouble bonding with males. She’ll warm up to you, just be gentle. Though,” he let out a breathy and cheerful laugh, “that won’t be hard for you to do, will it old man?”

“I’m a gentle old sole.” The old man chuckled. “Just send the Scouts here when they come through.”

Grisha bid the old man and the kids goodbye, and went back home. The old man quietly shut the door, and turned around to face his grandson and his friend, the girl was now hiding behind the boy with tears still in her eyes, and Armin looking back at her trying to calm her down. The old man got down to her size and smiled warmly at the two.

“Hello there Inge, Armin has told me a lot about you.” He said. Armin blushed a bit as he smiled at the ground. “I’m Armin’s grandfather, Reinhold Arlert, but you can just call me Reinhold. Are you hungry? It’s still very early.” Inge nodded her head slowly and sniffled a bit. Reinhold handed her a cloth from his vest pocket for her to blow her nose in. “Then Armin can show you around the house as I get dinner ready, does that sound good?” She nodded again, and he smiled at her. He went into the kitchen and started making the three of them breakfast as Armin took her hand gently and led her down the small hallway, pointing to each room and stating what they were before going into his room, and shutting the door behind him.

* * *

* * *

* * *

It took a while before Armin got Inge fully calmed down, she was nearly hyperventilating because she was crying so hard. He didn’t quite understand why, she refused to tell him when he’d asked twice before, so he stopped asking. He hugged her the whole time, making sure she was comfortable in his arms. It was one of the very few things he could do well, was comfort someone who is in distress. When Inge  _ did _ calm down, she explained to Armin that what had happened to her was what Dr. Jaeger called a “panic attack”, and that she’s be okay. He was relieved that she was alright, and he didn’t pry. That’s the last thing he would want to do.

She told him everything all on her own. She gave no details, just the facts. She was taken, abused sexually and physically, and escaped. He listened closely, and held her hand the whole time. She squeezed his hand once or twice, becoming noticeably tense at some points. He tried not to react too much, but it was unlike any story he’d ever heard! Not even in any of the books that he’s read has he ever heard a story so awful. By the time she finished her story, it was time for breakfast.

Armin tried to have conversations with the both of them, smiling at Inge and paying more attention to her than his grandfather, but she remained silent and unresponsive as she stared down at her plate. She wouldn’t look up, and wouldn’t acknowledge either one of them. She did however speak when she was finished eating, getting up quietly, putting her dishes in the wash tub, and saying a quiet “thank you for the meal Mr. Reinhold”, before heading back the hall to Armin’s room. 

The blond boy sighed. He wanted Inge to be comfortable around his grandfather, he loved him! He doesn’t like seeing her so timid, her smile is too radiant to be hidden away. He finished his meal along with his grandfather, they bid each other an affectionate good night and headed off to their separate rooms. Inge was waiting there for him with her night clothes she packed already on. She sat on his bed, waiting for him to tell her where she would be sleeping.

He blushed, “well, I’m going to sleep on the floor, and you can have my bed.” He rubbed the back of his head. If having his comfy bed would cheer her up, then that’s where she’d sleep.

“That’s stupid!” She told him as she got off of the bed.

“Huh?”

“It’s  _ your _ bed moron,” she smiled slightly, “you have it, and  _ I’ll  _ take the floor.”

“B-but, the floor is cold! You’ll get sick!” He replied.

“Then why would you want me to make you sleep on the floor? Why don’t we just share the bed?”

His face got more red.  _ Share his bed?  _ But, she’s a girl! And he’s a boy! From the many books Armin has found and read, he once made contact with a book more suited for… older kids. Of course he closed it after reading the first paragraph and realising what kind of book it was… but he distinctly remembered hearing something from older kids, and reading in that first paragraph…  _ okay page _ … about certain things that happen in a bed with a man and a woman, or  _ any  _ two people. Then again… that’s between a  _ man  _ and a  _ woman _ , not a  _ boy  _ and a  _ girl _ , so maybe it’s fine?

“I… I guess we could do that…” He agreed, went to the bathroom to change, and climbed into bed where Inge had already settled in and was falling asleep. 

Their backs were to each other, and so Armin didn’t bother trying to hide how red his face was. It was such a bright hue, it could probably be seen in the dark! After taking a few minutes… fifteen to be axact, to calm down, he fell asleep as well. They were awoken in the morning by the clopping of horses and carriages. The Scouts had finally come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact; I gave Armin's grandfather the name of one of my relatives, Reinhold Messner, who was the first man to climb Mount Everest without an oxygen tank, and who happens to look a shit ton like my father. Isn't that interesting? Well if he's anything like the rest of the people in this family, then he's a piece of shit...
> 
> ANYWHO.... Did you like the cute little blushy Armin in this chapter? Because I sure did enjoy writing him! What a cutie! I think I love Armin more than my actual boyfriend. Just kidding, love you babe.


	12. Tea Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin and the others come back with Levi, but not Isabel or Furlan...
> 
> Inge and Levi talk about their childhoods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one month? No way! Have fun with this one, I enjoyed writing Levi.

Inge shot up from Armin's bed, startling him awake the moment she heard horse hooves hit the dirt roads outside. She didn't care if she was still in her nightgown, she wanted to see who made it. Surly Erwin, Hanji, and Miche made it, but did the three new people? She really liked that redheaded girl. Isabel? She was hoping Nanaba made it again because she really wanted her to do her hair in a pretty braid like she does every night. What about Furlan? He's really smart, Inge could bet without a doubt that he has great stories to tell. And Levi? The short one? She was wondering about him. She's never seen him smile in the few days he was at headquarters. Did he make it? 

 

Hanji was the first one Inge saw. Running straight to her, not even realizing she was in her nightgown, or that Armin and Reinhold were behind her, Armin also in his night clothes and barefoot. She was aiming for Hanji's knees before she kneeled down to pick her up. She jumped in the woman's arms and hugged her tight. She noticed Hanji's goggles were on her head, not in front of her eyes and pulled back to look at her. She gave the girl a sad smile, something bad happened.

 

She looked around for the people that take care of her on the daily. Miche, Nanaba, and Hanji were okay. She saw Erwin walking up behind Hanji, but first he stopped to talk to someone with their hood up. She couldn’t tell who it was, but she could tell that Erwin was talking softly to. Hanji gave her one last hug as Inge watched the tall blond walk over to them and take her from Hanji’s arms. The woman turned to a confused Armin and a sympathetic Reinhold to thank them for their time and hospitality for the Survey Corps’ little girl.

 

“What happened?” Inge asked Erwin as he hugged her. Whether it was a hello hug or one for comfort she didn’t know, nor very much care, she was just glad to see him alive. He sighed.

 

“Inge? You know how dangerous our job is right?” He asked her.

 

“Uh-huh.” She replied curiously. 

 

“It seems…” He sighed again. “It seems that Levi’s friends, the redhead and the blonde, they’ve… not made it.”

 

“What about Levi?” 

 

Erwin looked over to the person wearing their cloak hood up. “He made it, but he’s reeling from the loss. They were his only friends.” 

 

Inge looked at him as well. “Can I ride with him on the way back?” She asked. Erwin and Hanji looked puzzled and shocked at her request. It had taken her months to warm up to the other men! Why is it so short with him?

 

“I suppose if he allows you, then you can.” Then he looked down at a hesitant blushing Armin. “But say goodbye to your friend and his grandpa first.”

 

She nodded as he let her down. When her tiny feet hit the ground, she ran straight over to Armin and gave him an exhilarated hug. This, of course, made him blush harder and his eyes sparkle with admiration. “Goodbye Armin! Thanks for playing with me!” She told him.

 

“Goodbye Inge. Travel safely.” He whispered quietly.

 

“Thank you for having me Mr. Reinhold!” She acknowledge the old man shyly with her right hand holding her left in front of her chest.

 

“Anytime young lady, stop by again soon!” He smiled at her softly and with all the care in the world.  _ What a nice old man. _ Inge thought. She quickly waved at Armin and ran over, still in her bare feet, to Levi on his jet black horse. The bags he had under his eyes earlier were darker, his eyes looked red, and he over all looked utterly shattered as a person. This was the key look of someone who has lost everyone he loves, and has nothing and no one to go back to. He looked down on her, with no other word to describe his emotion as broken.

 

“What the hell do  _ you  _ want?” He asked her with his voice full of anger and despair. 

 

“Let me ride with you!” She demanded more than asked.

 

His eyebrows raised the slightest bit, and offered her his hand. “Why not?” He asked himself.

 

She was able to get on the horse with a struggle. She learned that Levi was stronger than his short figure would have someone think. The small girl was put in front of him on the horse, and when Shadis gave the command for them to move, he whispered for her to hold on. They rode in silence. Not a word the entire time, but they didn’t have to speak, that’s just how it seemed to be for the two of them.

* * *

* * *

* * *

They arrived home around mid morning, and Inge stayed awake the entire time. She decided to take in her surroundings for the first time on the trip from Shiganshina to the Survey Corps Headquarters. No one said anything to the two of them as they dismounted Levi’s horse. Erwin put a hand on Levi’s shoulder as he passed by, but nothing else. Inge opted to stay with him, and follow him wherever he was going. She silently helped him as he put away his horse. He still had his hood up, and noticed as he looked up slightly that Inge was getting wet in the rain that caught up with them on the way home. So he opted to give her his cloak to the girl for shelter against the rain. He took her hand carefully, and led her inside to the small reading room they had in the building. He picked up a book from one of the shelves as she sat down and opened it up, reading the first paragraph on the first page before deciding it was good enough to sit down and indulge in.

 

Inge sat in silence still and watched him for a few seconds before pitter-pattering in her still bare feet across the floor and grabbing a book of her own, the sounds of her naked feet against the stone floor causing Levi to look up from his book for a moment to watch her before going back to his reading. She pittered across the floor once again after finding a decent book and plopped herself on the chair parallel from Levi’s. There in the room they read silently for a few hours. Levi being the first one to get board and getting up to make himself some tea. He brang in some juice as well for her, and sat both cups on the coffee table. He sat there, still in shock of the mornings devastating events, looking at the little girl enamoured in her book.

 

Then, for some strange reason, he decided to speak to her. “I named the horse after my mother.”

 

He was looking at his cup of tea as he let the statement hang in the heavy air around the two of them. She had looked up from her book, curious.

 

“How old are you?” He asked.

 

“Seven and a half.” She replied.

 

“I was seven when she died.” 

 

She said nothing.

 

“Died from a disease. She was a prostitute.” He answered her unspoken question. His eyes stayed on his tea cup. “I was beaten by some of her clients. Sometimes she got between us, but then she would get beaten. I saw the things they’d do to her, and if they found me from my crying, they’d beat me to stay quiet. I was raised by a serial killer, who left me when I was twelve. I fended for myself until I met Furlan, then we fended for each other. Isabel came along a few years later.” He took a shaky breath before continuing, his eyes still on the tea cup. “They were the only family I had left, and they died because of me.” He picked up his cup and took a sip of the hot tea that burned his throat. He didn’t care, he just didn’t want to feel the anguish anymore. “I’m a bastard. Never knew my father.”

 

Inge stared at him with her big heterochromic eyes. “My daddy is Marleyan, and my mommy is Eldian.” She stated. “If the Marley authorities ever find out, and I make it back home, they’ll kill them and me. They weren’t supposed to have me.” He looked at her with pity. He could relate if he could guess. If his father knew he existed, he probably would’ve been dead a long time ago. “Then I was taken by a man who did horrible things to me. That’s how I got here.”

 

“I can relate.” He took a sip of tea. “It’s not fair, is it?”

 

“No. Not at all.” She took a sip of her juice. 

 

They sat in silence for hours, opting to pick their books back up and filling the room with nothing but the clinking of their glasses and turning of pages. Levi looked at the grandfather clock and realized it was past ten o’clock. He figured from the time and Inge’s yawning. He marked his book by folding the page corner and went over to the girl. He gently took her book out of her hand and lay it down open as not to lose the page she was on, grabbed her small hand, and spoke softly, “let’s go kid, I think it’s time for bed.”

 

She nodded and let him lead her to her bedroom. He opened the door and put her in bed, making sure she was covered up before blowing her bedside candle out and shutting the door behind him as he left the room. He went back to the library and cleaned up their left behind cups, washing them until they shined and marked her book for her. 

 

He shared a part of himself that he only ever shared with Furlan and Isabel. Maybe he thought the little girl was a good replacement. Maybe he just wanted her to know. He wasn’t sure, all he knew was that for the first time in years, he was ready to sleep.

Still, nightmares plagued his sleep...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took me three days to write. I'll be able to write more often over the next year because I'm continuing my schooling online, and I'll only really have a job to stop me.


End file.
